%% Image removed per Image Pickin' thread: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1321218400066920100%% Please start a new thread if you'd like to suggest an image.%%A form of phlebotinum, an AncientArtifact is some object that bestows special abilities on its possessor. Unlike some types of phlebotinum, Ancient Artifacts are not naturally occurring: they are constructed. (The word "artifact" literally means "something made by humans," and contains the same root as "artificial.")

While any tool could be said to "bestow abilities on its user," an artifact is no mere tool. An artifact is both rare and extraordinary, and the abilities it grants are beyond-- often ''far'' beyond-- the scope of the technology available in the story. Artifacts are also invariably old-- the older, the better. Newly invented super-science devices, no matter how awesome, would not usually be called artifacts.

Some artifacts are not tools, and don't need to be actively used-- they influence the world by their very existence. This tends to be true more of {{curse}}d artifacts, which bring bad luck or worse to their owners.

Most of the time, artifacts are also unique. That is, while a story may have many artifacts, each one will be the only one of it's kind: there is only one {{Excalibur}}, one Gáe Bulg, and one [[{{Kusanagi}} Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi]].

Artifacts are common in the {{fantasy}} genre, where their power is usually derived from supernatural sources. The tools and weapons of the gods are textbook examples of artifacts, as are certain religious relics. Supremely powerful instruments of mortal magic-- usually described as extremely dangerous or difficult to create, or made by long-forgotten means, in order to explain their scarcity-- are another type of artifact.

Artifacts aren't limited to the fantasy genre though: they can often be found in any adventure story, including those with contemporary settings. In non-fantasy works, artifacts are frequently the [[LostTechnology forgotten technology]] of a [[{{Precursors}} lost civilization]], or of AncientAstronauts. ImportedAlienPhlebotinum can serve a similar narrative purpose.

Because of their special powers, artifacts are often widely sought-after, making them a classic form of MacGuffin. The AdventurerArchaeologist in particular, spends about 99.2% of his time (onscreen) looking for them. The AncientOrderOfProtectors will sometimes be protecting them.